Wednesday, December 23, 2009

LOST IN TRANSLATION!!


This current administration in Washington has managed to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye on the general populace of the country. With Obama's approval rating flying south for the winter, you would think some attention would be given to the polling data on his job approval and current issues of the day. Not so with this current group of Democrats. Their vision has become myopic, they're oblivious to whats going on in the streets, or they simply choose to ignore it. The liberal left ideology is the language of the day and has shut out the majority voice. The louder you scream the more they choose to ignore what is being said, as if they don't understand. Whatever the opposition says is simply lost in translation.
Here are just a few examples:

We don't want a government health care plan.

Translation: You want a government health care plan that cuts medicare for seniors, raises your taxes, and does absolutely nothing but create another entitlement program in America.

We need real jobs now.

Translation: You want us to create a stimulus package that does nothing more than increase the governments payroll, saves jobs for those still working, imagines jobs for those who are not working and will throw whats left over in cash to the districts where Democrats will be fighting for re-election in 2010. Or, were you refering to the White House holding a “jobs summit?”

We don't want terrorists or enemy combatants held as prisoners on U.S. Soil.

Translation: You want us to close Guantanamo, buy, refurbish and refit an old outdated prison in Illinois so we can move all detainees in Guantanamo to this new federal prison site.

We don't want Terrorists prosecuted in the U.S. Under civilian law, with citizens rights for trial.

Translation: Screw you, we'll do what we want!

We don't want you to investigate the men and women in the CIA for their role in fighting terror.

Translation: Bush and Cheney were evil, they lied to us and Nancy Pelosi. We really want them on trial.

Once again...we need jobs!

Translation: Oh! You must be referring to all the “green jobs “ that will be created when we pass a “Cap and Trade” bill.

Not new taxes, tax cuts.

Translation: The new green legislation will create higher paying green jobs so you can afford higher taxes.

We want you to secure our borders and quit providing safe haven for illegals in the country.

Translation: You must be referring to amnesty for all so they can legally participate in the new government health program.

We aren't getting anywhere, there must be a language barrier.

Translation: Right, we heard you! “SPREAD THE WEALTH”, we're working on it. Remember, “CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN”

I, give up.

Translation: We were hoping you would say that, goodbye.



DON'T GIVE UP! VOTE THEM OUT IN 2010. VOTE HIM OUT IN 2012!

Edisto Joe
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Saturday, December 19, 2009

DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!

Now that the Copenhagen talks are melting away and participants are congratulating themselves for completing another successful vacation on someone else's dime, another story is breaking in the world of Global Warming. Fraud...big time fraud in the European Cap and Trade system.  It seems crime has gotten into the selling and trading of carbon credits.

I want you to be protected from this new criminal activity and so for a limited time only I am offering you free membership into our global carbon credit system. (certain fees apply, read fine print). We're the most trusted name in the carbon credit business. Upon approval, (and everyone is), you will receive your very own "Carbon Credit Card" for purchasing all the carbon credit you need to offset any size footprint. This card is universally accepted at all carbon exchange outlets and can be used for private or business transactions.



APPLY NOW!

The Edisto Joe Bank & Securities Carbon Credit Card.
I thank you, my wife and children thank you and my creditors will thank you.

Edisto Joe

Friday, December 18, 2009

THE NEW MORAL MAJORITY AND THE MORAL IMPERATIVE


What is a moral imperative and what does it cost? Well that depends upon which moral imperative you are referring to. According to the Liberal Democrats just about everything in their agenda is a moral imperative.  It's a phrase Nancy Pelosi has tattooed to the front lobe of her brain, (I know, many of you thought she didn't have a brain) and honestly you do have to wonder about how she turned a forum on Global Warming into a jobs summit. Leave it to Nancy to go global with her stupidity.

It seems like every time they use the term moral imperative it precedes one of their proposals that will end up costing the American Taxpayers more money. Welcome the new "Moral, (More Expensive), Majority." Bank takeovers, industry takeovers, health care, stimulus money, you name it. Now Global Warming has become a moral imperative and just how much will that cost the taxpayer?  According to Hiliary Clinton, the goal of the UN is to supply about 100 billion a year to a UN fund to assist developing nations with clean energy production, of which she said the US would possibly commit to 20%. In reality that's 20 billion a year and probably more.

We are in the midst of a terrible economic downturn, massive unemployment, a soaring deficit and basically in debt for the next billion years and these idiots are willing to turn over 20 billion dollars or more to the UN yearly? The UN is the most corrupt organization in the world. They would trust them with our taxpayer money so some dictator in the middle of nowhere can put up a couple of solar panels and then buy a yacht and stash the rest in a Swiss bank account. Afterwards he pays a percentage back to the guy in the UN who approved his request for funds. There are probably people at the UN right now planning their retirement on this colossal political blunder in the making. And who flies in for the last minute endorsement of the deal? President Barack Hussein Obama, Mr. Sell-Out himself.

All this Global Warming, moral imperative crap is about deceiving people into the radical, liberal plan of socialising America, not only at home but on a global scale. Obama's "redistribution of the wealth" now includes the rest of the world. And since none of these green mental giants can get on the same page,Nancy Pelosi has seen fit to create more confusion and head scratching by saying the conference is really about creating green jobs at home and abroad. What a farce and we the taxpayers are paying for this! Do any of these people read the latest poll numbers?  Global Warming is not a major concern at home. It's the economy and jobs stupid. America can't wait for all these fictitious green jobs to fall from the sky out of your dreams and we certainly can't afford 20 billion a year thrown into a cause that uses flawed science to spread alarm which always proves to be wrong. Just look at Al Gore telling everyone in Copenhagen that the Arctic ice will be gone in 5 years, and yes Al, I don't believe the Polar Bears are endangered and yes, they are increasing in numbers whether you like it or not! And while we're at it, why would you believe in saving Polar Bears and not the life of unborn humans?

It's not even worth trying to point out the hypocrisy in this whole debate because the Democrats have taken the self righteous, moral high ground. Nancy Pelosi barred all Republicans from the news conference in Copenhagen the other day because they had dissenting views. Unless you're a good Obama Socialist you're not welcome. After the news conference they showed brief video clips of her and her "toady" Hoyer wandering around like tourists on vacation, no doubt spreading the moral imperative message about creating green jobs.

The only solution to all this lunacy is to keep exposing them at every turn and then every American needs to make it their own personal "moral imperative" to vote them out of office.

Edisto Joe

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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

FACES: THE TRUTH ABOUT COAL


FACES, the Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security, is a new industry group founded to combat the onslaught of enviro-nut regulators Hell bent on destroying an entire industry and a way of life for thousands in the Appalachia Regions of our country. They are fighting back with their own story, using real people, with real lives, discussing the realities of what the industry means to their communities and the quality of their life.  The Al Gore's of the world are trying to destroy their basic means of survival by spreading worldwide fear of impending global disaster, with "cooked" data, half truths, and outright lies. This is their way of fighting back and they are doing so in a straight forward way that is based on pure common sense and logic that any sound minded individual can understand.




It has always amazed me the way liberals will relentlessly attack industry directly related to the land, such as, mining, logging, and farming. Yet they go home at the end of a good day protesting and enjoy the comforts that all these industries provide and in many cases don't even realize it, (or they won't admit it). They feel perfectly content on destroying ones means of making a living without presenting any worthwhile or economical alternative solution to replace what is taken away. They cry and scream when met with resistance as if their cause and reasoning is the only one of importance. The moment FACES went online spreading their message, liberal pundits, bloggers and reporters blasted the group as nothing more than a propaganda tool fronted by the coal industry. The best they could do was claim that some of the photos used in the information were of stock origin. As for discrediting the stories, facts and figures, they can't, because the truth and the people are real. This is more than can be said for the questionable data involved in "Climategate" and the self proclaimed enviro-guru, Al Gore, who was caught lying this week in Copenhagen about the Arctic ice melting away.

For more information on coal and what it means to America, visit the FACES site:
http://www.facesofcoal.org/index.php

If you think you pay too much for electricity now, just see what happens if you shut down coal.

Edisto Joe
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UPDATED COPENHAGEN REPORT




OFFICIAL EVENT SPONSOR




WEEK ONE HIGHLIGHTS:


KEYNOTE SPEAKER ADDRESS

"I'm Melting, I'm Melting!"



NOTABLE SCIENTISTS PRESENTING DATA




LECTURE ON SAFE PRACTICE FOR RESCUING POLAR BEARS: WHAT NOT TO DO!
(This is important, pay attention!)






Updates to follow as they come in.

Edisto Joe


UPDATE: No one knows why noted polar bear researcher, Dr. Bornfreed, missed his scheduled lecture yesterday.







                                                                                                  

Monday, December 14, 2009

TED NUGENT, DONNA JACKSON AND "GRAVEYARD" DEAD BILLY RILEY


I have always been a supporter of the Second Amendment and the right of any law abiding American to own firearms for sport shooting and hunting and for personal protection of life and property. The liberal argument against this position has just never made sense to me. Common sense tells you that if you take away that right, law enforcement and the bad guys will be the only ones with weapons. That doesn't help you if the police are no where to be found and your the only one holding a knife at a gunfight.

Each side in this debate can point to their own studies and statistics, but whether they like it or not the left is losing this battle. In the following video, Rocker Ted Nugent lays it out in very straight forward terms for all you who want the ban. This message isn't what you hear in Congress or at cocktail parties, it's from the heartbeat of America.



Now that you have heard Ted's view, lets go to the recent 911 call out in Oklahoma where Donna Jackson, a lady who was alone in her home at night when a drunken, crazed Billy Riley broke into her home.  She told the operator that she had a shotgun and would shoot if she had to, also saying she didn't want to kill him, but "I'll kill him graveyard dead" which unfortunately for poor Billy is what happened.  After hearing the tape it's hard to find fault with the reasoning of Ted Nugent and his passion for self defense.



Donna, I'm glad your all right and that you had a shotgun for protection.

Edisto Joe
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Thursday, December 10, 2009

GLOBAL WARMING?...GET SERIOUS...IT'S ASTEROIDS DUMMY!


The first thing one must understand about the global warming agenda is that it has nothing to do with saving the earth from destruction and although there is validity in the science of climate change for the study of cyclical patterns in weather and temperature, the theory that the earth is being destroyed by man made greenhouse gases is pure nonsense. The recent "Climategate" scandal in the global warming community has shown that. They have been manipulating data for years in order to advance their theory and ignoring any science that says different. What they have been very successful in doing is linking up with the socialist left on a global scale that includes every green enviro-organization one can think of. Along the way they have enlisted like minded politicians and leaders to help advance their cause.  This year their world stage is Copenhagen where they want to reach an agreement on reducing emissions globally and help third world and emerging economies in planning for a green future.                                                                                 

How will this be achieved?  Their solution exposes their true purpose for what it is. Global Socialism, the leftist dream. They want to establish themselves as the world's watchdog on industry. Not just any industry, but all industry and they want the right to impose strict regulation on everything that industry does, be it on land, water or air. And to pay for it all they will tax and tax some more. For those countries too poor to kick in we will help them develop their economy so that they eventually can pay their share. They will be in charge of redistributing the wealth on a global level. Sound familiar? It should because it was one of the phrases thrown around in President Obama's campaign last year, "redistribute the wealth in our country." As for Americans, if these people , which includes our President, have their way, we will not only be paying higher taxes to cover new enviro-regulations, our tax money will also be going to subsidize poorer countries around the world to develop a manufacturing base to compete with us on a global scale. The socialists will be closer to world dominance and the global warming crowd will have their regulations on greenhouse gases. The rest of us will suffer the tax burden and negative effects to our economy. Redistributing the wealth in America is preparing to go global! The global warming craze has opened the door to every carpetbagger in the world for both personal and political gain and while they are busy advancing their political agendas and lining their pockets from green slush funds, no one is paying much attention to a very real threat that will completely wipe out and destroy their pristine little green world community.

While these climate scientists have been selectively collecting their chump data and feeding it to the public, they have been oblivious to the threats that come from above. I'm talking about asteroids, big ones, little ones and all sizes in between. Asteroids are rocks and debris which are the leftovers from when our solar system was created. Most are drifting in a belt, which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. However, the gravitational influence of big gas planets, like Jupiter, or an explosion from the impact of a comet can knock these large rocks out of their safe orbit and place them on a collision course with Earth. That is why the Air Force and NASA jointly fund the Near Earth Asteroid Research Project, (NEAR), to monitor,observe and seek out any new rocks headed our way and unless your an avid astronomer or interested in the subject you don't hear about any near misses or whats coming our way, but there out there and they can appear at any given moment. One of the most recent was an asteroid they named 2000 NT7, projected to collide with earth in the year 2019 but further observation and calculations cleared us from any danger. However a newer asteroid has appeared which could pose a threat, currently scheduled to impact Earth on March 21, 2014 if current calculations hold true.

Asteroid 2003 QQ47 is around 1.2 km in width and has been the subject of careful monitoring. What's the worst that could happen? If it hits you can kiss all your green windmill farms and solar collector grids goodbye! When this rock slams into Earth it will hit with the force of 20 million atomic bombs. Over half the world will be destroyed by the heat blast and the rest will be destroyed from the ensuing nuclear winter. Now that is what I call Global Warming!

Current odds are at 1 in 909,000 that it will actually hit but don't be swayed  into feeling safe by those numbers.Since the discovery of the Chicxulub crater and its likely association with a mass extinction event 65 million years ago, scientists have discovered more and more evidence that celestial objects have a history of impacting the Earth and by their own studies and theories have concluded that even after total, or mass extinction, life miraculously evolved again. It did so without the aid of a test tube or petri dish. Mother Nature has a way of adjusting and healing her wounds and that is why it is pure arrogance on the scientific community as well as all the environmentalists to spout off their predictions that man is killing the planet and will eventually destroy all life. Life is bigger and more complex than any of them or their theories and they have already stated so. After 65 million years when that asteroid hit and destroyed everything, here we stand  now, alive and breathing. And so it will be long after we burn up the planet with this global warming nonsense. Life, in one form or another, will continue doomsday after doomsday, after doomsday and no amount of science can refute it.

If your one of those who likes to loose sleep at night over things you can't control, this is a great site for reading about the dangers of asteroids.

http://www.secureworldfoundation.org/siteadmin/images/files/file_344.pdf

Edisto Joe

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Tuesday, December 8, 2009

CHRISTMAS WISH LIST FOR SANTA

My Christmas wish list, in no particular order.

I wish...

That the 11 fact checkers for Sarah Palins book “Going Rogue” would be reassigned by the Associated Press to look into the “Climategate” scandal.

That President Obama would take Liz Cheney up on her suggestion that he send the mother of a fallen soldier in the War On Terror to accept his Nobel Peace Prize, to serve as a reminder to the Nobel Committee the price paid for freedom and who is providing it to them and the rest of the world.

That the three Navy Seals, who are under court martial for giving a murderous Muslim terrorist a fat lip and a punch in the stomach, are acquitted of all charges and instead awarded the Navy Cross.

That Al Gore would simply go away. Ditto to  Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Eric Holder, and a lot of others too numerous to list here.

That there's a power grid failure in Copenhagen this week.

That Israel would blow to hell Iran's nuclear program and show Ahmadinejad just how powerless they really are.

That President Obama's approval rating of 47% keeps heading south for the winter.

That 90 year old Retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, a World War II veteran and Congressional Medal Of Honor recipient is allowed to keep his 21 foot flag pole and flag flying in the front yard of his suburban Richmond home and that the home owners association trying to make him take it down all receive a visit from the Grinch this Christmas.

That the American people would tell the EPA to take their announcement that greenhouse gases pose a public health threat and stick it where the sun don't shine!

That the next time the President holds a job summit some actual real jobs in the private sector will be created and that he actually invites those who can do it.

That the President would learn in regards to the War On Terror, that “VICTORY” is not a bad word and that the next time he is at West Point he should try using it.

That the 9/11 terrorists never make it to trial in New York and for that matter never make it out of Guantanamo.

That English is declared the official language of the United States.

That the border wall along Mexico be finished and security enforced.

And finally...

That everyone realizes it's OK to say "Merry Christmas" in public. If someone is offended, tough! We are a Christian nation, founded on Christian principals and we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We always have and we always will.

So, Merry Christmas to all and remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. They enjoy receiving cards and gifts too.

I know my list is long and far from complete but I don't want Santa to think I'm being greedy.

Edisto Joe

UPDATE: 12/09/2009
Thank you Santa! My Christmas wish No.8,  90 year old Retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot will be allowed to keep flying his American Flag on his 21 foot flagpole at his home in Richmond, Va.  (Take note all you non-believers).
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Monday, December 7, 2009

PEARL HARBOR DAY REMEMBERANCE AND THOUGHT

December 7, 1941 is a day that will be forever ingrained in the minds of my family. That morning a knock came at the door of my grandparents home. My grandfather opened the door, and it was Mr. Steele, their next door neighbor. He was in a very excited state and kept repeating, have you heard, have you heard? The news he was carrying stunned them, Pearl Harbor had been attacked.

After the initial shock passed, my grandfather and Mr. Steele went into the living room and turned on the radio as my grandmother made coffee. Their they stayed for the rest of the day. My grandmother kept trying to get through to her sister, Lena, on the phone and finally was able to connect with Lena's husband John.

All day the reports coming in had not been good, the country was now at war with Japan. My grandmother talked with John since Lena would not come to the phone. She wanted to know if there was any word about Elmer, their second oldest son. He told her no, that they only knew what everyone else knew, Pearl Harbor had been attacked and considerable damage was inflicted, no word on actual causalities but the news wasn't encouraging. All the children were at home, there were six, four boys, two girls, by their mothers side awaiting news.

Toward the end of the week and into the next,all the horrifying details of the attack came out, and the official notice arrived. A Navy recruiting officer along with the local Baptist minister came to Lena and John's house.
Elmer was on board his ship, The Arizona, during the attack and was confirmed dead. By the end of the following week three of her remaining sons had joined the Navy and one would follow a year later.Three served as sailors and one as a Marine.

All saw action in the Pacific, two were wounded but returned to action and miraculously all returned home, all except Elmer. His death was one that remained with my Aunt until her dying days, one she could never accept. A mothers love would not allow her to let go. I guess in her mind if no one ever actually saw the body then you couldn't say for sure he was gone. No one ever tried to argue the issue with her and she refused on several occasions to attend memorial services at Pearl Harbor even when the Navy offered to transport John and her free of charge. Two years after the war, my Uncle John and his sons, with Lena's permission, placed a head stone in the family cemetery plot bearing Elmer's name. The inscription on the stone reads: “Lost December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor.”  In Lena's mind "lost" did not imply death but as time went on she knew inside her heart, Elmer was never going to return.


The picture above was the last one ever taken of Elmer, he is standing on the right. He and his buddy were on shore leave around the first week of November. Regrettably we lost the name of his friend or we simply never had it. The picture was sent to my grandmother along with a letter from Elmer, thanking her for the Christmas fruit cake she sent him. He said he was well, they were working hard and he was sorry he wouldn't be home for Christmas. Tell everyone Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas and write when you can. My grandmother ended up giving the letter to her sister for safe keeping to be included with the rest of Elmer's personal effects. The picture stayed on my grandmothers mantle and when I was old enough I asked her about it and she told me the story that I have just told you.

The picture is in my possession now and I have told both my children the story. It's a story that is all too common for many American families. On my wife's side, they lost their Uncle Eddie in the Normandy Invasion, My friend down the street, his father was shot down over Germany during a bombing run, and his wife's uncle died at Guadalcanal.  The one common thread that runs through out these stories is the duty, devotion, and honor these men and their families felt toward this country and to answer her call in a time of need. They may have grieved at the loss of a loved one but never complained or criticized. Blame fell upon those who started the war in the first place.

That is how it should be today in our current struggle with the Muslim terrorists. That's right, I said Muslim terrorists. That's the politically correct label and that's who our men and women are fighting now.                                                                                                         

At a time when we should invoke duty, devotion and honor it seems that many in the general population are searching for blame within and would welcome a retreat from protecting ourselves and securing our nation from further attacks. Our current administration and many of those in the Democratic controlled Congress are feeding this notion, even going so far as to propose a tax on the wealthy to help pay for the war. They would single out one segment of our society over the rest and place the burden on them, completely forgetting that they in Congress approved this war and we entered into it as a nation united. The time for petty politics should be past.  Anything less than total commitment and support is a disgrace, not only to those now serving in our military but to those like Elmer and the thousands of men, women and families of veterans past.


Edisto Joe








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Saturday, December 5, 2009

GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA....NO JOKE!

Check out this gift for Christmas, ChiaObama!



Sure beats a collectors Presidential Plate. Too bad they don't have a ChiaBiden to go along with it.

If you have trouble finding one, don't worry, there's always the ever so popular "Barack In A Box" that will make an excellent back up gift.



MERRY OBAMA CHRISTMAS!

Edisto Joe

Friday, December 4, 2009

AARP: SELLING OUT SENIORS AND LINING THEIR POCKETS!


AARP members wake up! You're being sold out by your own organization and their lying to you about the future of Medicare within the structure of the government run health plan. In the past, every time the word "cut" was mentioned with Medicare in Congress, AARP was one of the first groups to weigh in against proposed cuts or changes to the Medicare program. All of that has drastically changed for you.  If the Democrats in Congress as well as AARP get their way, you will suffer massive cuts in Medicare and Medicare programs you now enjoy. They will be eliminated in order to pave the way for the cost cutting needed to pay for this huge government health plan being forced upon you and the rest of America.

Why would AARP join forces with the proponents of such a disastrous plan for our country? It's not because they are an advocate for your rights and no matter what they post on the web site, or what they send out in the mail, they cannot escape the truth. MONEY! They will make lots of it with their insurance affiliates. AARP is in the insurance business, they left the advocacy for seniors arena a long time ago. Just like a corrupt union they take your dues and line their pockets to the benefit those running the organization.

Many AARP seniors who enjoy the Medicare Advantage Plan sold by various insurance companies will lose their coverage because that program will be eliminated. Since AARP does not offer that plan directly it will eliminate competition to their endorsed plan which will mean your forced to buy their product. That's what they do in socialist countries. The government forces out the competition and your left with whatever they choose to provide. The government is happy, AARP makes money from you, so there happy and your just screwed and are supposed to be happy about it.  If you ran a business and got a sweet deal like that from the government, you would endorse their plan too. It has nothing to do with looking after your interests.                                                                                        

On October 27, the Washington Post published an article by Dan Eggen. Here are some excerpts:

The group and its subsidiaries collected more than $650 million in royalties and other fees last year from the sale of insurance policies, credit cards and other products that carry the AARP name, accounting for the majority of its $1.14 billion in revenue, according to federal tax records. It does not directly sell insurance policies but lends its name to plans in exchange for a tax-exempt cut of the premiums.


The group's dual role as an insurance reformer and a broker has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks from congressional Republicans, who accuse it of having a conflict of interest in taking sides in the fierce debate over health insurance. Three House Republicans sent a letter to AARP on Monday complaining that the group was putting its "political self-interests" ahead of seniors.


GOP lawmakers point to AARP's thriving business in marketing branded Medigap policies, which provide supplemental coverage for standard Medicare plans available to the elderly. Democratic proposals to slash reimbursements for another program, called Medicare Advantage, are widely expected to drive up demand for private Medigap policies like the ones offered by AARP, according to health-care experts, legislative aides and documents.


Republicans also question the high salaries and other perks given to some top AARP executives, who would not be subject to limits on insurance executives' pay included in the Senate Finance Committee's health reform package. Former AARP chief executive William Novelli received more than $1 million in compensation last year.


"We are witnessing a disturbing trend of handouts to special interests like AARP," said House Republican spokesman Matt Lloyd, referring to Democratic negotiations over health reform. "In return, AARP is lobbying for a government-run health-care bill that will pad their own executives' pockets at the expense of its own members and other vulnerable seniors."

Read the entire article:

Seniors of America, don't be fooled by those in Congress and AARP that tell you your best interests are being represented. Some will say this post is another scare tactic by a conservative nut. Well, they are right, I am scared and you should be too!

Cartoon courtesy of "Backhoe" from Free Republic.

Edisto Joe

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Thursday, December 3, 2009

AFGHANISTAN: THE PRESIDENT'S REPLY

WEST POINT, NY - DECEMBER 01:  U.S. President ...Image by Getty Images via Daylife
First of all, I want it to be known I support the President's decision to send 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan. I also favor his reasons for doing so, denying al-Qaida a safe haven, reverse the Taliban's momentum, strengthen the capacity of the Afghan security forces and government and securing key population centers. What I don't support is the issuing of a time line on withdrawing the troops and trying to deflect blame to the Bush Administration as the reason for escalating the conflict. This is your war now Mr.President, your generals and your plans. This new strategy comes on the heals of your earlier one this past spring. We waited three months for a decision, not excuses.

During his televised address at West Point, the President had a chance to use his gifted talent for speech to inspire a nation to lend full support to his new strategy in Afghanistan and the deployment of 30,000 new troops into the fight on the War On Terror. No one envisioned or even expected to see the picture of Winston Churchill smoking a cigar and flashing the victory sign with two fingers up at the podium but I was disappointed to see our President addressing the cadets and the nation as if he were giving a quarterly report in some boardroom of corporate America. The message once again was full of Obama speak and double talk. It's hard to be inspiring when one moment your pushing the plan for success, (victory is not in the man's vocabulary), and then outlining the plan for retreat in the next. Instead of going on the offensive and elaborating on the finer points of the new war strategy, the President chose to blame his predecessor for allowing the situation to get out of hand in the first place. Mixed messages and excuses are never a good way to sell a plan of action in war. Many of the cadets you are addressing will have to carry out your plan of action and it would be good to have a strong unified message for them to hear. Playing both sides of the political fence, trying to make both sides happy and announcing that you have 18 months to get the job done doesn't inspire anyone. It's confusing and all you have to do is look at the questions being thrown around now in Congress by both sides on exactly what it all means for our troops, our allies, Afghanistan, and the security of the American public.

It took three months of meetings and debate with the war council to come to this point and now the President is giving our military only eighteen months to get it done. By the time all troops are fully deployed it could be less than a year before it's time to pull the plug. That's a great message to send to your enemy, and another example of cut and run diplomacy that has always failed us in the past.

Our men and women in the military are the finest fighting force in the world and they deserve better from their Commander In Chief. The President wants to bring Afghanistan to a “successful conclusion.” I believe he should be looking toward a victorious solution.


Edisto Joe




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